Council engineers have devised an expensive scheme to “mimic” the natural water cycle they are deliberately disrupting, argues LIZ LOW.

A crime against nature

March 1, 2014

THE revised Cape Paterson drainage and road scheme is based on “water sensitive urban design” principles, but the Cape’s unsealed roads are already “water sensitive”. The gravel surfaces are permeable and allow the rain to soak in and run off to the side where it gradually and naturally filters through to the water table. In the original Special Charge Scheme 27 for Cape Paterson, the engineers of Bass Coast Shire gave no recognition to this natural cycle. Their plan was to remove all the run-off from the newly sealed roads into concrete kerbs and channels and then into drains to discharge into the bays. Their revised plan issued on February 25 still seeks to transform Cape Paterson into a suburb of sealed roads and concrete kerbs. However, they have now introduced a tiny water sensitive urban design scheme, to solve one of the problems they have created. Note the word “urban” in water sensitive urban design and see if it applies to this location. Throughout a long, hot summer, Cape Paterson Park has remained green and hosted dozens of cricket games. The trees ringing the park are healthy and provide shade, wind protection, shelter and food for birds and the occasional koala. The roads surrounding the park on three sides are gravel surfaced and water flows from them onto the park, naturally replenishing the water table and nourishing grass and trees. Cars can park casually on the grassy edges and people can enter the park from any point. It’s a country setting. To quote Melbourne Water, which advises councils on their water management issues: “Water sensitive urban design is about integrating water cycle management into urban planning and design”. It “aims to improve waterway health by mimicking the natural water cycle as closely as possible”. This part of Cape Paterson is not urban and there was certainly no planning input into this engineer-driven scheme. There is no recognition of its particular relaxed neighbourhood character.

The water sensitive urban design solution at Tenby Point gives no cause for reassurance.

Bass Coast Council last week wrote to Cape Paterson residents giving them notice of its intention to declare a $6.1 million special charge scheme to seal and drain Cape Paterson streets. Residents, who face an average bill of about $14,000, have until March 26 to comment or object. If a majority of affected residents object, the scheme will not proceed.

The engineers now have to spend council funds to “mimic” the natural water cycle they are deliberately disrupting. Two rain garden beds, involving concrete borders, metal grilles, gravel and artificial “natural” planting will be installed into the body of the park, one off Anchor Parade and the other off Park Parade. The result will be water to only two focal points and it’s hard to see how that will provide water evenly to the grass, as happens now, with no intervention from anyone.

If we look to the engineers’ water-sensitive urban design solutions at Tenby Point, which they sealed under a special charge scheme, the prospect is not reassuring.

This retrofitting at the park is typical of the whole mismanagement of the Cape special charge scheme. Road sealing and concrete kerb and channelling is creating problems that then have to be fixed. Sealed roads encourage motorists to drive faster, so the engineers then have to install single-lane slow points and a multitude of warning signs.

But that’s another story.

COMMENTSMarch 4, 2014Engineer-driven plans never take into account common sense. (There’s an old adage: “The sad thing about common sense is that it is NOT common”.) Natural surfaces in a village like the Cape are much more sensible. But councils and engineers LOVE kerb and channel, drains to make water disappear as soon as possible (into the sea or sewerage storm water). Where are the plans for recycling storm water? Where is the developers' contribution to all this scheming? For some reason known only to themselves our Bass Coast Council, planners, engineers et al will not be happy until our coastal villages resemble mini Cold Coast horrors. Roll on, Brave New World!Yvonne McRae, Wonthaggi

March 4, 2014Very good article, Liz. I can’t see many benefits, if any, from this sealed road/drainage project. I wonder if the council engineers have ever considered a retention system that collects rubbish and pollutants such as oil runoff before the “additional” stormwater enters and pollutes our local beaches? Such retention systems have been introduced in some parts of the world but would only add further costs to an already flawed scheme.Tim Wilson, Wonthaggi